Criminal Profiling: the online encyclopedia

"The process of analyzing the crime scene, type of crime, and the way the crime was committed to develop a highly detailed psychological profile of an unknown offender".

Contrary to popular belief, criminal profiling doesn’t single-handedly solve a case. It is used to help narrow down the suspect pool, it is actually an investigative tool. (Detectives and investigators use profiling mostly for serial violent crimes, such as: murders, rapes, bombings, etc.) Profiles can be highly descriptive and can include an offender's sex, age, ethnicity, height, or weight.

 

 

There is no single creator of criminal profiling, but the first person to actually create a psychological profile of an unknown offender was Dr. Thomas Bond. Mr. Bond was a police surgeon and physician for Scotland Yard, and created a profile of Jack the Ripper. Bond used evidence from the crime scene, and evidence from autopsies to create a picture of the killer's mannerisms, physical strength, and outward appearance.

Cesare Lombroso and  Hans Gross are also credited because of their work in the field of criminology. Lombroso studied criminality and deviant behavior, (his chart is seen on the left side of my website). Gross created the forensic science field and bridged the gap between psychology, forensic science and criminal law.